A Star Is Born
by actionman81
Summary: When Peggy Carter is framed for war crimes, can Angie, Daniel and the rest of the SSR find out who's really behind the slander?
1. Chapter 1

Los Angeles, 1947

Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa sat down over paperwork at Sousa's office at SSR  
"Not bad" Daniel signed off on the papers in front of him  
"Quite so" Peggy smiled  
"Now you've seen a bit more of me than before" he looked up at her from his seat. He referred to Peggy's having seen his prosthetic leg.  
"I suppose I have" she leaned on the desk  
"Maybe we could talk about something a little more permanent" he opened his desk drawer. The jewelry box inside shifted as the drawer was pulled  
"After all that's happened, maybe that's a fine idea" she agreed, "You know, Howard Stark was talking to me about a proposition"  
"A proposition?"  
"He wanted me to head off a project that he had been working on"  
"If anyone should be in charge of things, I can't think of anyone better for the job than you"  
"It may be a conflict of interest for us to continue working together while we're – well," she alluded to the fact of their being a couple  
"I guess." Sousa didn't like the idea of not seeing her daily, but if what he hoped for came true, that wouldn't be a problem  
"I do like what we have, Daniel" she smiled at him  
"I know. I do, too. That's why I wanted to ask you some-"  
The phone rang, and Sousa slammed the drawer shut. The box jostled inside the drawer. It would have to wait  
"Sousa" he answered the phone. He frowned, and handed the phone to Carter, "It's for you"  
"Who is this, and how did you get this number?" Peggy asked quizzically  
"Peggy? It's Angie" her friend from New York spoke  
"Angie, are you alright?"  
"I'm in trouble, and I didn't know who else to call. I spoke to Mr. Jarvis and he told me to call you, here"  
"What happened?"  
"What happened?"  
"Could I come down there, just for a bit, until this dies down?"  
"Until what dies down? What's happened? Tell me everything"  
"How much time do you have?" even in danger, Angie was quick with a comment  
"Don't worry about that" Peggy was clearly concerned for her friend, "Just start at the beginning and let me know everything that's happened"  
Angie explained, over the phone, her predicament,  
"I was walking home, from the bus depot, but then I saw something- something that I shouldn't have"  
"Are you alright?" Peggy was genuinely concerned  
"I guess so. Nobody stopped me in the street today, but I keep feeling like I'm being watched"  
Peggy feared the worst, "Angie, I want you on the next flight out. Promise me"  
"Sure thing, English, you got it"

A day later, Angie stepped off a TWA flight;  
Jarvis met her at the airport. "A pleasure to meet you, again" Jarvis smiled  
"Likewise" she grinned.  
A short drive later, they arrived at Howard Stark's mansion  
"Wow, he does live it up, huh?" she gawked at the ornate architecture of the building  
Ana Jarvis hugged Angie, "I'm so glad to meet you," she held Angie at arm's length for a moment, "So; you're the friend that Peggy mentioned?"  
"Hopefully, everything she said was good" Angie smiled  
Ana smiled back, "Oh, absolutely"  
"Come, Ms. Martinelli, I'll show you to your room" he beckoned her, "As well as the rest of the house"  
"If someone followed your friend to Mr. Stark's other house in New York," Ana spoke to Peggy, "how can we make sure she's safe here?"  
"We'll do our best" Peggy was serious  
Ana sat on a chair, seemingly lost in thought  
"How are you doing, Ana?" Peggy was concerned  
"I'm – alright" Ana hesitated  
"I can't imagine what you're feeling" Peggy began  
"No, you can't" Ana steeled her gaze, "thanks to all that espionage, Edwin and I shall never be able-" she let her words hang midair  
"I'm sorry" Peggy was at a loss for words, but said what felt necessary  
"You didn't do this" Ana reassured her  
"True, but I could've stopped it" Peggy sighed  
"The pain hasn't gone" she meant the emotional pain, "and the knowledge that some dreams will never come to pass, but we're doing our best to go on with life, and Edwin has a far better understanding of what an adventure, as he calls it, truly is"  
"And we are now back in the foyer" Jarvis came back into the room, with Angie behind him  
"And I thought the other place was big" she meant the mansion in New York  
"I imagine it is" Jarvis was nonchalant. He wasn't trying to be rude. The house actually was big, and he was simply making a statement.  
"I hate to leave you like this, Angie, but I've got to see Howard, at the studio"  
"That's alright, I'll come with you" she was cheerful"  
"Don't—don't you want to rest after the flight" Peggy faltered momentarily  
"No, I feel fine now" Angie smiled, "I'm here, I'm away from those goons that saw me"  
"True" Peggy nodded, "Well, during the drive to the studio, please catch me up on the details"  
"Sure, English"

Jarvis drove the ladies to the studio. Uncharacteristically, Peggy sat in the backseat, next to Angie, who she pumped for details  
"You mentioned seeing something that you wished you hadn't,"  
"Something that I shouldn't have seen, you mean" she shuddered, despite the dry heat, "I'm halfway from the Auto Mat to my place, I mean, Mr. Stark's." Angie directed her next statement to Jarvis, "Thanks again for letting me stay there"  
"Mr. Stark relays his welcome" Jarvis kept his eyes on the road ahead of him  
"You can talk to Howard yourself once we reach the studio" Peggy offered, "But please, go ahead"  
"So, I'm walking back when I hear something in the alley. I thought it was a cat or something, but when I look in, it's these two guys, beating the stuffing out of some poor kid. Then, one of the thugs says that this guy owed them, and owed them good, and he'd get what was coming to him. Then, the other guy shoots the poor kid, and the first thug yells at him for doing that. About that time, I backed away, but I knocked into a trash can and that was when they heard the noise I'd made, and saw me. They knew I'd seen everything. I ran as fast I could back to Mr. Stark's, but they had seen me run that way. It wouldn't be long until they found out where I was living"  
"Is there anything you could tell me about them, perhaps I can relay the information back to someone in New York"  
"The guy who beat the kid, he was tall, like Jarvis"  
"And the other man?"  
"Shorter, and bigger, like that guy who kept bothering me at L&L" she referred to a customer who harassed her about her service at the Auto Mat. Peggy had pressed a fork into his abdomen and threatened him to treat Angie better, and give her a generous tip.  
"Is there anything else, that you can remember about them"  
"Oh yeah" Angie realized, "They had these pins, shiny ones, on their jacket, shaped like the letter A"  
Peggy sat back, stunned. What could the Council of Nine be doing?

At the studio, Howard was in a fine mood. He'd taken time away from work, and the group sat in commissary to some studio fare  
"I'm scrapping the FDR film" Howard quipped, "Too much bad publicity, even for a film about a good guy like Roosevelt. So I've got something better" he glanced from Peggy to Angie, to Jarvis, "Picture it. I'm going to make a movie out of that radio program, the Captain America Adventure Program"  
"Are you serious?" Peggy looked aghast, "That whole, 'save me Captain America' Betty Carver nonsense?" she changed her normally British accent to the put upon American accent that the radio artist used for the program  
"You know, I tried out for that part" Angie put in, "on the radio program"  
"I knew you were an actress the moment I saw you" Howard grinned, "How would you like a starring role, then?" Howard reached out to place his hand on Angie's  
"What, me?" Angie looked surprised, either by the offer, or Howard's gesture  
"Sure, you're pretty, you could pull it off" Howard winked, "You're better than most of the girls I've seen today"  
"Howard" Peggy interjected, "I do hope you'll keep things professional  
"Of course I will, Peg, you know me"  
"Indeed, I do"  
"Let's go over some lines I pulled from the radio transcripts, and see how that works out" Howard tried to take Angie's hand again  
"Angie" Peggy interjected, "Maybe you'd like to speak with Daniel about those men you saw in New York"  
"I guess" Angie seemed to enjoy Howard's company  
"If they're in New York, they can't be a problem here" Howard didn't think that the mystery men were a problem  
"Perhaps" Peggy chose her words carefully, "It really might be best to talk to Daniel about those men, regardless"  
"Fine" Angie sighed, "Maybe later"

At SSR, Chief Daniel Sousa looked over the paperwork on his desk. Being the chief hadn't entailed everything he'd imagined. Being in charge meant being in the field less, but he still had the respect of his agents. Daniel glanced up from his work, at the photograph propped in a frame that sat on his desk. He remembered when it had been taken, while Peggy and he had been doing recognizance on Frost's research.  
"What are you doing?" she'd been surprised when he'd snapped her photo  
"Figured you'd want at least one souvenir from your trip to California" he smiled  
"It wasn't exactly the trip I'd expected it to be" she rolled her eyes at the situation  
Daniel smiled wistfully for a moment. She'd saved his life that day, as well as the day after, but still.  
The phone rang, and he answered it  
"Daniel, I need to speak with you about something urgent" Peggy didn't waste time with greetings  
"Sure" he smiled over the phone  
"I'm trying to get Angie to come in to talk with you about something, but she seems reticent"  
"When you can reassure her, I'll be right here"

At the Arena Club, things were in full swing  
Vernon Masters, recovered from his predicament with Whitney Frost, was back at the club, doing business as usual. When the Zero Matter inside of Jason Wilkes had gone off, exploding out of him, Masters was thrown from the blast and landed under debris from Manfredi's waste disposal building. When Carter, Sousa and other SSR agents pulled Wilkes from the wreckage of the room, Masters had bided his time, until Frost had left to follow the others. After a hospital stay, cleverly erased by the Arena Club and its members, Masters was doing what he could to take control of things.  
"Gentlemen," he addressed the Council of Nine, "The entire Department of War is being restructured, which means that the SSR is going the way of the dinosaur. It's a different world now."  
"What do you propose?" Hugh Jones asked  
"I'm talking about a complete overhaul" Masters smiled, "and I know exactly where to begin"

At the hospital, Jack Thompson finally awoke. What should have been a routine surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his chest had taken an uncharacteristically far worse turn. Thompson had contracted an infection, either before, during or after surgery; the duty staff that day hadn't figured it out. As a result, Thompson lay in bed, unresponsive.  
Once he had regained consciousness, he was still of little help  
"He wore a mask" Thompson mumbled to Daniel and Peggy, who had come to the hospital to take his statement, "I opened the door and he was there, wearing a balaclava, and aimed a pistol at me" he closed his eyes, "I don't remember anything else" He wavered in and out of consciousness.  
"What did he want from you? Can you think of anything?" Daniel asked  
Thompson could easily think of what the assailant had wanted. It was the only thing that was missing from his suitcase- the file on Carter.  
"It's a forgery" she had thrown the file back at him  
But who would be so interested in the file, even if it was falsified?  
Jack had fallen unconscious again. Peggy and Daniel had looked at one another, sighed, and left the hospital room.  
Now, Jack opened his eyes, looked around. He tried to smile at what he saw, but even that hurt too much.  
The pretty blonde nurse saw that he'd opened his eyes, at least for the moment, "Hello" she smiled at him

At the Arena Club, the Council looked to Vernon Masters  
Vernon Masters, in turn, looked down at the file in front of him, which gave a full summary of what transpired on March 15, 1943, and at the center of the situation was Agent Peggy Carter.  
Masters looked at Mortimer Hayes, "Take this file" he slid the document across the table, "and make sure that every newspaper you manage has a front page article that tears down Peggy Carter"  
Hayes opened the document and glanced over the information. Most of the text had been blacked out. Hugh Jones, seated next to him, handed him a viewing device, which allowed him to read the redacted portions.  
Words jumped up at Hayes as he read,  
"13 man team"  
"immediately returned fire and contacted Colonel Coleman"  
"Axis intelligence"  
"No civilians were spared from the massacre"  
Hayes looked up, "Consider it done"

At Howard's studio, Howard Stark was clearly interested in Angie, and maybe even about the role he'd mentioned to her earlier  
"How come someone like you never came down to Los Angeles before?"  
"I really loved stage plays, and radio work. I couldn't see myself being a movie star"  
"Well, maybe you should reconsider that"  
"Howard" Peggy interrupted, "Angie really has go see Chief Sousa"  
"Sure" he waved her off, "I'll drop her off there in a little bit" he turned to Angie, "So, tell me about why you enjoy Broadway. I'd love to hear more"

At SSR, Daniel picked up the phone after a few rings, "Chief Sousa"  
"Daniel, you'll have to come down to the studio. Howard is being incorrigible" It was Peggy  
"Somehow, I'm not surprised" Daniel sighed.  
"You'll want to come here. From her descriptions, Angie had a run in with some people you've already met"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I can't really mention it over the phone" she glanced at the people milling about the studio lot  
"Alright" he got up, "I'll be there as soon as I can" After he hung up the phone, he made his way down the hall, trekked downstairs and was out the door

At the studio, Howard was going over the overall idea of a Captain America film  
"Picture it, we'd get someone dashing to play Cap" he remembered his friend. Hopefully, this movie could be a tribute to him, maybe even make things right with Peggy, "and if you play Betty, well who better than the friend of the woman she's based on"  
A few feet away, Peggy was fuming, "I can't believe she's letting herself be taken in by that womanizer" even though Howard was her friend, she wasn't blind to the man he was  
"Perhaps Mr. Stark has changed his mind, turned over a new leaf, as it were" Jarvis suggested  
"Honestly, Mr. Jarvis, do you truly believe that Howard is capable of that?"  
"It would seem less thank likely, but he has been talking to Ms. Martinelli for quite some time, with no overt desire to take her for what he calls his, private auditions"  
"I suppose I shall believe it once I see it"  
"You'll believe what when you see it?" Daniel Sousa walked up to them  
"Oh Daniel, maybe you can find a way to get Angie to speak with you. She's being absolutely stubborn"  
"Reminds me of her best friend" he quipped  
"Come with me" she gave an exasperated sigh  
They walked over, and Peggy introduced Daniel  
"Angie, this is Daniel Sousa, chief of the SSR in Los Angeles"  
Angie looked at him, ran her eyes from his head to his feet and back up again, "Gee, English, you were right" she grinned  
"She was right about what?" Daniel got sidetracked for a moment  
"That's between us girls" Angie smiled  
"Ms. Martinelli, I wish we could've met under better circumstances, but I really do need to speak with you about what you saw that night and why it was so important that you came out to L.A"  
"Alright" she nodded at Sousa, and turned back to Howard for a moment, "I guess we'll have to finish our discussion later"  
"I'll be counting the minutes" he smiled lazily at her  
"Right this way, Ms. Martinelli" Sousa led Angie over to a quiet area of the studio lot  
"Can you please tell me more about what happened?" he asked her  
Angie recounted what she'd told Peggy, about the men, the boy, and the pin.  
"Did the pins that the men wore look like this?" Daniel held up the Arena Club pin from the previous Isodyne case  
"Yeah, where'd you find one?" Angie was surprised  
"I'll get to that in a minute" Daniel nodded grimly  
"I'll just be a moment" Peggy excused herself, "Howard, could I look at that script for a moment"  
"Sure thing, Peg" Howard passed it to her, "Want to admire the hard work put in"  
"Something like that" Peggy dashed a pen over the script at various lines and handed it back to him.  
"Uh, Peg" Howard stared at the changes she'd made  
The script was open to a page where Betty Carver was talking back to Hitler  
Betty's line originally read, "You lousy krauts are in big trouble once Captain America gets here"  
Then came Captain America's line, "When I'm through with you, Hitler, you're gonna be seeing stars... and stripes!"  
Peggy's changes had Betty telling Hitler, "You lousy krauts are in big trouble now that we're here!" with Captain America saying, "When we're through with you, Hitler, you're gonna be seeing stars... and stripes!"  
"We?" Howard didn't understand the line change  
"For God's sakes, Howard, at least have them fight together. Do you know what it's like, growing up and being told that you can't be who you are, just because you're a girl"  
"Peg, you're the best at what you do, and I wouldn't feel safer with anyone else around me" Howard smiled, "but this isn't personal; it's really just business"  
"What's the harm in showing boys and girls what women can fight just as hard as men?"  
"Nothing, if I want this film to never get off the ground" Howard scratched out the changes that Peggy had written in  
"I will not have you ruin Steve's name like this" she fumed, suddenly more livid than she let on  
"Peg, I'm not doing this to do anything to Steve's name, or anyone's name" he did his best to reassure her, "I'm doing this to make some money, that's all"  
"Fine" she sighed, "Go. Make your film. Have the world believe that lie"  
"I know the person you are. Sousa knows it, and even your friend Angie knows it." Howard was serious, "and I know how much Steve meant to you. He meant a lot to me."  
"He did" she snapped at him. All at once, memories flooded back, of Steve, before and during the war, and the loss she'd felt when he was gone.  
"You said it yourself" Howard was being a friend, "We all have to move on, but the world wants what it wants and I'm just giving it to them"  
"You are" came her curt reply; she did her best to remain composed

A few feet away, Angie was coming closer to understanding the gravity of the situation, "These Arena Club men, why would they shake down some guy in an alley, and then try to come after me just for seeing it?"  
"They're like the mob, but better organized, more powerful" Daniel recalled how they had changed the election results for Calvin Chadwick in the newspaper.  
He looked at her, "Ideally, you'd want to have spoken with the SSR chief in New York, but that won't be necessary because he's in L.A right now"  
Angie looked confused  
"He was shot recently, and he's still recuperating in the hospital"  
"I'd like show you some photos of possible persons of interest, just to see if they can help you remember things. Would it be possible for you to come back to SSR with me?"  
"What about Peggy?" Angie looked back, to where Howard and Peggy were arguing over a script  
"Sure, Peggy" Daniel smiled

At SSR, Daniel spoke with Angie about the men she'd seen, and what exactly she'd witnessed. Meanwhile, Peggy looked over some paperwork from another case she'd finished. Daniel would have to sign off on them as the chief, but for now, everything was caught up. She placed her pen back on the desk and glanced at the photos that stood there.  
One was a shot of Steve Rogers, before his transformation. Skinny Steve, as he'd been called, was a man brave enough to jump on what he thought was a live grenade, in order to save his fellow trainees. That was the man that Peggy had fallen in love with.  
The other photo was of Daniel, one that she'd nicked from his desk a few weeks ago. The two men were similar in so many regards.  
She wasn't surprised that she hadn't had an insane musical dream about the two of them, instead of Dr. Jason Wilkes  
Jason was wonderful, and they'd share a whirlwind relationship, but things had moved too fast, for her to make sense of things. Perhaps if things had worked out differently, they could have had a chance.  
Peggy roused herself from her thoughts. This wasn't like her, not at all.  
"Back to work" she thought, and opened her desk drawer. Howard had recently given her some paperwork, and it was high time she looked over them.  
The papers weren't much more than hastily written notes, but from Howard, they spoke volumes. Peggy glanced at the handwritten heading, "Protection"  
She looked over the notes, words jumped out at her, such as, "Logistics", "Intervention", "Division", "Enforcement", "Homeland", and "Strategic"  
The term "Strategic" made her smile. In a way, if the SSR, or Strategic Scientific Reserve was on its way to be obsolete, this new project of Stark's might carryover much of the SSR's core. Peggy nodded to herself, yes; Howard's plan looked good, even in this primitive stage. She imagined that much work would have to be put into it, perhaps at a later date.

At the Arena Club, that night, things were moving according to schedule.  
"Good, very good" Vernon Masters smiled. He looked at the newspaper, with the following day's date. The headline was perfect.  
"Thank you" Mortimer Hayes nodded  
"What now?" Hugh Jones seemed impatient  
"Now" Masters smiled, "Now, we wait for destiny to befall"

That night, at Howard Stark's mansion, Peggy Carter lay awake in bed, worried for her friend, concerned about other loved ones in her life, and unsure of the best way to rectify things. Her job was to protect people from danger, and yet the people who were the most closest to her had been hurt so severely, simply because of her job. What could she do to solve things? She glanced at the door. Angie was asleep in the room next to hers. The Jarvises were in their bedroom. Daniel was home. Everyone seemed safe, for now.  
Peggy sighed, rolled over, and did her best to sleep.

As she slept, Peggy was transported to another time, another place, another plane of existence. Perhaps it was a memory, or a dream; she couldn't tell.  
Peggy stood in a backyard, and watched two children play. A young dark haired boy ran about, chased by a younger brunette girl with a towel tied to her neck, "The bad guy is getting away!" she shouted, "but here I come to get you!"  
Peggy watched her. The little girl seemed familiar, with hair in ponytails, and a skip to her step  
"Oh no!" the boy feigned mock fear, "its Superman!" he turned and pointed his thumb and forefinger at her, "Bang, Bang!" he yelled, imitating gunfire  
Peggy watched the boy. He reminded her of her brother. She sighed.  
Over by the house, a man called to the children, "Michael! I hear Mom. You both better come in!"  
"Oh, Daddy's here!" the girl ran up to the house. The boy followed suit.  
Peggy frowned. Michael? Could she be revisiting her own childhood, now?  
Peggy strained to see the man, but he was blocked by the back door of the house.  
"When is Mummy coming home?" the boy asked the man, still hidden behind the door  
"Soon" the man's voice could be heard,  
"Until then, will you draw us another picture?"  
"Sure" he laughed  
Peggy could hear the love in the man's voice. She took a step forward. Nobody seemed to notice her. She glanced around the backyard, but she didn't recognize it. The house, too, seemed different than the one she had grown up in. Everyone, from the children to the man, had American accents.  
Peggy was shocked when she heard a familiar voice, "I'm home". It was Daniel's voice.  
She slowly walked closer to the house until she could see through the window. She gasped.  
The children sat at a table in the kitchen, with Daniel. He placed a briefcase on the table, and leaned on his crutch. The man who she had heard stood there, too, but with his back toward the window. She couldn't make out his face, only that he had blonde hair. Peggy thought that she recognized him. She just wasn't sure, so she strained against the window pane to see more.  
"Daddy" the girl asked, "Is Mummy coming home soon?"  
"Yes, Angie, she had a long day at the office"  
"Why do you have to work so much?" the boy whined  
"Michael, please. You know Mummy and I have a lot of work, but we make time for both of you"  
"Yes, but" little Angie piped up  
"Besides" Daniel replied, "You've got Uncle Steven watching you"  
"Oh, Daddy" the girl became excited, "he drew the best picture ever!" she flapped a piece of paper.  
Peggy nearly fell over when she saw the image on the page.  
Captain America  
"You like him?" Steven smiled.  
Peggy realized, too late, that this was Steve, her Steve.  
"Uncle Steven?" Peggy was confused  
Steve was speaking again. Peggy tried the back door and when it opened, walked in. Nobody seemed to hear her.  
"It looks great. She's going to love that" Daniel spoke to Steve  
"Thanks. I call him, Super American. Maybe your guys could've used somebody like him" he looked at him  
"Yeah," Daniel nodded, "We could've" he seemed lost in thought for a moment.  
The door, the front door, opened, and Peggy nearly fainted when she heard an all too familiar voice  
"Mummy's home"  
It was her own voice. Peggy nearly fell over when she saw herself enter the house, her hair shorter, also carrying a briefcase  
"Was the office hard, Mum?" little Michael asked  
She smiled, "Not when Dad's there to help me out" she kissed him, Daniel, right in front of Steve.  
Steve smiled and walked away, out of the kitchen, toward the back of the house, right up to Peggy, where she stood, transfixed  
"Still waiting for that dance?" he asked her  
"Steve, you can see me? You're here?"  
Steve smiled. He looked good, slimmer, certainly not the peak specimen he had been, but not the sickly young man that she remembered either.  
"That's what this is about, right? You want to know where things are going, or where they could go"  
"Why yes, but" she seemed even more confused. Peggy sat down on a couch. Steve sat next to her.  
He motioned to the family in the kitchen, "They look happy, right?"  
"Yes" she looked wistfully at the living tableau in front of her. Could this be her future, a family with Daniel?  
Steve looked out the window, then back to Peggy, and then he turned serious, "There's a storm coming. I want you to be safe. No matter what, don't even second guess yourself. You're a good woman. You're strong, and capable, and-" he hesitated  
"And?" she looked at him, expectantly  
"And you'll always be my best girl" he leaned over and kissed her cheek  
Peggy blinked and looked up. Howard Stark's painted portrait stared back at her from the bedroom wall in the mansion.

That morning, Howard Stark's mansion was awoken with Peggy Carter's shout when she saw the morning paper. "Bloody hell!" she was livid when she read the front page headline, "War Hero or Murderer?"  
"Margaret Carter killed innocent civilians, spared no one in the massacre" the line jumped up at Peggy  
"What—where—how did anyone find this?" she asked herself aloud, "The shooter" she realized, "Jack" she stormed down the hall to the Jarvis' room  
"Mr. Jarvis" she banged on the door, "Mr. Jarvis" her tone was loud, but firm  
The door opened, and Edwin Jarvis poked his head out of the opening, his hair was combed and his pajama shirt was buttoned to the top collar button, "Yes, Ms. Carter?"  
"I'll need a ride to the hospital, immediately if possible"  
"I do hope you're alright" he opened the door wider  
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Someone else certainly will not be" she fumed  
"Just a moment" Jarvis ducked into the room.  
Peggy waited; impatiently  
Jarvis came out a few minutes later, impeccably dressed, as usual  
"The hospital?" he asked for clarity

At the Arena Club, Master smiled to himself, "The world must be seeing a new side of Agent Carter" he leaned back in his chair

Peggy sat fuming in the car, while Jarvis drove. Thoughts whirled through her mind at lightning speed. Who was responsible for this? Jack had the paperwork, but since he was shot, talking to him would yield nothing.  
"Mr. Jarvis" she turned to the butler, "A slight detour will be necessary"  
"Of course" he nodded.  
After a slight route change, the car pulled up outside the Arena Club  
"How do you plan to enter? It's men only, and Mr. Stark isn't here with a group of women to hide you within as though they were a living Trojan horse" Jarvis asked before they'd exited the car  
"You make a valid point" Peggy realized  
"I suppose we could climb up a duct and crawl through the vents and-" Jarvis thought aloud  
"Done" Carter was outside the car, holding an "A" logo pin in her hand, along with a pair of eyeglasses. At her feet was an unconscious lanky man.  
She saw Jarvis' look of surprise, "He'll live" she smirked, "You wear a Tall, I take it?"  
Jarvis nodded in shock  
"Good. Now, give me a hand getting him into the bushes"

At SSR, Daniel exhaled as he saw the headline in the newspaper.  
"Peggy's not going to like this" he shook his head. He knew full well that whatever she'd done in the war, killing innocent civilians was not the kind of woman she was. He picked up the phone, and nearly called her at Howard Stark's residence, but he thought better of it, and put the receiver back down on the phone cradle- better wait for her to contact him. In the meantime, he could work on damage control.  
No sooner had he put the phone receiver back on the cradle, the phone rang. Sousa picked it up on the first ring.  
"Chief Sousa?" It was Angie, Peggy's friend, "I remembered something else I wanted to tell you. Peggy and Mr. Jarvis already left in the morning. Could I come to the – agency in about ten minutes?"  
"Sure" he nodded over the phone, even though she couldn't see him, "Whatever you can remember would help quite a bit"  
He put down the receiver and leaned back in his chair. Sousa glanced at the photo of Peggy on his desk. He'd snapped it while they were doing recognizance on Whitney Frost. He'd never have thought that he'd be with her, Peggy, not Whitney.  
Daniel thought back to last year, when he'd put the drop on Fennhoff, a silver tongued monster who used his power of suggestion to wreak havoc on others. Though he'd been wearing earplugs, and feigned deafness when confronted by Jack Thompson, Sousa had indeed heard Fennhoff's words,  
"The men that you work with, they see you as broken... half a man." That had hurt him, but Fennhoff's next sentence had ripped into Sousa's heart, "And Agent Carter... I see how you look at her, but she will never value you for the man that you are. How can she? She feels only pity."  
It had taken everything in him to push those thoughts aside that night. Sometimes, when he was alone in his house, especially when he lay alone in bed, those words came back to haunt him, "she will never value for the man that you are"  
That sentence had been proven wrong a few months earlier. Peggy valued him, and he valued her. They had a lot in common, and knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. They were equals, and that felt good.  
Sousa smiled at the photo. He knew that Fennhoff had known nothing about him, and definitely knew nothing about Peggy Carter.

At the Arena Club, Jarvis was dressed in the club member's outfit, a club pin on his lapel. The problem was that Jarvis simply wasn't ready for this adventure.  
"I do think that there must be another way to handle this situation" he seemed reticent; the man's glasses perched on his nose.  
"Mr. Jarvis, how do you suppose I handle it? I cannot very well traipse into the Arena Club as I am not a man, and my mere presence will alert them to any sort of espionage that I had planned on undertaking"  
"Yes, but" he started  
"They have seen you" she remembered and gave exposition, "but we can hope that with this rudimentary disguise, you may be able to gain access and find out why they are doing this so I might be able to stop them"  
"You do give a sound argument" Jarvis conceded  
"Thank you" she smiled

At SSR, Angie breezed through the front door of the talent agency, and Rose buzzed her down to the lower level. Peggy had explained a few things during their talks. Peggy had also briefed Rose so that there would be no misunderstandings as had happened when Jarvis came to the Bell Phone Company a year earlier.  
Angie walked into Sousa's office, sat down, and forced a smile; "Are you ready, Chief?" she wasted no time.  
"As I'll ever be" he smiled back, pen and paper in hand, "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"  
"It had to do with—hey-what happened to that blonde guy, the one I cried all over?" Angie got sidetracked  
"He's in the hospital" Sousa was truthful  
"I didn't think I'd go and break his heart" she joked  
"Someone tried to shoot through it, although I used to think he was missing that organ. He's the chief of the SSR in New York"  
Angie opened her mouth, but no words came out.  
"Are you ok?"  
"I knew things had to be dangerous, with Peggy's work, but I never knew someone who got shot. Did he pull through?"  
"He's going in and out of consciousness" Daniel sighed, "But the bullet's out."  
Daniel exhaled, "I saw him a day ago, and he looked awake. I asked him a few questions, and he mumbled some answers, but then he was out. I called his name, 'Jack, Jack', but he didn't respond after that."

"Jack, Jack"  
Jack Thompson could've sworn he heard someone calling his name. He forced his eyes to open.  
It hurt. It hurt like hell. Everything hurt.  
She said his name again, "Jack"  
Thompson's brain didn't know up from down. He'd been in battle before, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall how he was here, in bed, with a pretty girl calling his name.  
He focused. She was cute. Nurses' uniform. Blonde hair. Yes, she was cute.  
"Glad you're back with us" she smiled at him  
Jack tried to smile back. The result was less than stellar.  
The nurse looked warmly at Jack, "Don't expect to be back on your feet in a jiffy. It'll take some time"  
She turned to check her notes, "Your boss came to see you, both of them" her smile faded; "They were concerned"  
Jack nodded absently. He tried to sit up. He nearly fell out of the bed trying that.  
The nurse held his shoulders gently, "Hold on there, cowboy" she eased him onto his back. She glanced at some paperwork on the side table, "I've got to take care of other patients, but" she paused a moment, "If you need anything, just ask" she smiled.  
Jack tried to focus on her name badge.  
Before she headed out the door, she looked at him again, "I'm Violet"

At the Arena Club, Jarvis made his way into the building undetected. As it were, the disguise seemed to work. He looked around hesitantly, and slowly made his way down the hallway to the library, as Peggy had instructed him.  
Leopold tended the bar, and noticed Jarvis, and remembered him from when Jarvis had instructed him on drink preparation. Leopold spoke into a receiver at the bar.  
Moments, later, Torrance stepped into the hallway and made a beeline for Jarvis as soon as he'd laid eyes on him.  
Jarvis nearly hyperventilated, his breath quickened and he walked stiffly past Torrance.  
"Excuse me" Torrance called after him  
Jarvis walked as fast as he could away from the Arena Club host.  
"Sir" Torrance followed him, "Sir, excuse me"  
Jarvis turned around, "Yes?"  
"Can I help you find something?" he sounded helpful  
"I—uh" Jarvis hesitated  
"Do you know what you're looking for?" he glanced at the lapel pin  
"Well, the – library" Jarvis mumbled  
"Its right this way" Torrance guided Jarvis around the corner and down a different hallway, "One more door and—here" he gave Jarvis a quick shove and locked the door behind him. Torrance then walked down another hall, picked up a nearby telephone and dialed,  
"Mr. Jones, there is something that needs your attention"

At SSR, Angie explained what else she had seen, "The kid"  
"What about him?" Daniel needed more information  
"The kid that those two goons were shaking down, he looked—he looked like that guy that Peggy was sweet on"  
"G—guy?" Sousa frowned  
"That blonde kid in the photo she kept in her apartment"  
Daniel knew the photo Angie was talking about. It was the one he'd seen on Peggy's desk at SSR.  
It was a photo of Steve Rogers, before his transformation.

"Oh dear" Jarvis looked around the locked room, but there seemed to be little he could use to extract himself. He went to the sole window in the room. He tried it. The window wouldn't budge open. He tried the door, to no avail. It was solidly locked. Jarvis swallowed hard, "What would Ms. Carter do in a situation such as this?" he spoke, though no one else was there to hear him.  
Jarvis sat down on a chair and exhaled. There was a dresser in the room, but it was too heavy for him to lift, much less do much other than push to barricade himself inside the room. Then the idea came to him. He was sitting on it, quite literally. Jarvis picked up the chair and after a step back to brace himself, he hurled the chair through the window. It smashed with a resounding crash, and Jarvis picked his was over the broken glass to free himself.  
Peggy Carter heard the sound of breaking glass and followed it. She caught his hand and helped him to come out of the broken window without badly cutting himself. They made a break for the car and drove away as the Arena Club members looked on.

At SSR, Daniel was figuring out what Angie's revelation meant,  
"So the kid they were beating up, he looked like Steve Rogers?"  
"The guy in Peggy's photograph, yeah"  
"But, what does that even mean? They were beating up some blonde kid"  
"I don't know if that helps, but I thought it might be important. Maybe he was ok, and tried to find her again"  
"Maybe Steve tried to find Peggy?" The idea seemed ludicrous, but stranger things had happened.  
Before Daniel could continue, the phone rang  
"One second, I've got to take this" he lifted the receiver, "Sousa"  
It was General Saunders, "Yes, yes sir" Daniel nodded and listened, "But" he began, but quieted down  
Finally, he sighed and nodded, "Yes, I understand" he put down the receiver  
"Is everything alright?" Angie was genuinely concerned  
"Have you read the newspaper?" he passed it to Angie  
"No, I-" she stopped mid sentence when she saw the headline. She frowned, "This is a bunch of bologna" she threw the paper on Sousa's desk, "You know she didn't do any of this"  
"I know" he sighed, "But, I've got orders to take her off active duty, and" he stopped  
Angie looked at him  
"I – I can't tell you the rest. Sorry" he slumped in his chair

On the road, Peggy looked at Jarvis as he drove, "What the hell happened back there?"  
"They realized who I was"  
"That means that they know that I'm watching them" she sighed, "Who could be in charge of this? Hugh Jones?" she knew that Jones had seen and remembered her from earlier, "or Vernon Masters" Masters had wanted her destroyed. It could be either of them, or anyone else in power that saw her as a threat.  
"Let's go back to the agency" she meant SSR

At the Arena Club, Hugh Jones consorted with Torrance, "What was Stark's butler doing here?"  
"I would imagine trying to spy on us"  
"What could he possibly – Agent" Jones realized, "It was that woman spy, she's behind this"  
"Don't worry" Vernon Masters walked up behind them, "By now, the nation will think she's a traitor to the government" he smiled

At SSR, Peggy and Jarvis walked into the talent agency front. Rose looked up, worried, "Mr. Auerbach needs to see you right away, Sandy" Rose's voice wavered  
Peggy looked behind her and saw a man holding a ventriloquist doll. Rose's misappropriation was meant to cover the fact that the agency was a cover for the SSR.  
"Sure" Peggy put on an American accent  
"And take Jimmy with you" she motioned to Jarvis  
""You bet" Peggy replied with the accent, and dragged Jarvis behind her.  
Once they reached the lower level, agents were already waiting for her  
"What's going on?" Peggy looked from one agent to the other, her natural accent having returned  
Daniel walked into the group. The agents parted to let him through, "I'm sorry, Peggy, I don't want to have to do this" he sighed  
"Do what? Daniel, what are you talking about?"  
Daniel put handcuffs on her, "Peggy Carter, you're under arrest for war crimes against the United States"  
"You can't believe that information" Peggy was shocked, "You know it's not true"  
Daniel leaned in, "This is my job" he looked despondent, Sousa turned and left  
"Daniel!" she called out, but he had walked back to his office. Agents held Peggy and Jarvis back, and led Peggy away, to a holding cell elsewhere on the premises.  
"Let him go" she scowled at the agents, and referred to Jarvis  
"It's quite alright" Jarvis seemed unfazed  
"It most certainly is not" she retorted  
The agents looked at one another, and let Jarvis free. He hadn't been handcuffed, but hadn't put up a fight either. They left him standing in the hallway, while they took Peggy to a holding cell for detainment.


	2. Chapter 2

Los Angeles, 1947

At the Arena Club, things were in full swing. Hugh Jones looked visibly pleased, and Vernon Masters smiled at the group.  
"By now, Agent Carter should have been disgraced, maybe even deported back to jolly old England"  
"So she's gone" Jones seemed unimpressed  
"Now, we will move forward with the next step in the plan," Masters explained, "making sure that every single person who could vouch for Carter is silenced"  
Hayes didn't understand, "How will that do anything?"  
"Think about it" Masters leaned forward in his chair, "If Carter is disgraced, no one will believe her. If anyone stand up for her, we'll crush them, too, and the world will understand how much power we yield"  
"I heard about something like that" Jones piped up, "Some kid got pummeled in New York" he looked slightly stunned, "That was you?"  
"That was an early phase, putting out feelers, if you will" Masters explained, "We weren't sure if Steve Rogers came back from that ill fated airline crash. So, I had some operatives tail him, and take care of him"  
"Well, who was he?" Jones wanted to know  
"Nobody. Some blonde chucklehead who didn't know which way was up" he laughed, "He won't be bothering us anymore, ever" his smile turned sinister

At SSR, Peggy was absolutely livid. Enclosed in a holding cell, a veritable jail, complete with metal bars making up one wall of her enclosure, she paced back and forth  
Upstairs, Jarvis and Angie were in Sousa's office, giving him an earful,  
"Peggy didn't do any of this" Angie practically threw the newspaper at him, "And I can't believe that somebody who says they love her, believes this garbage!"  
"Quite so" Jarvis chimed in, "Ms. Carter is nothing if not the most trustworthy person I know"  
"Certainly more than Howard Stark" Sousa quipped  
"That may be, but you will be hearing from Mr. Stark about this" Jarvis turned on his heels and left the office.  
"Now I suppose you want to lay into me about how great Peggy is?"  
"You should know that already" Angie flared, "The way she goes on about you, people would think you two were already married with babies on the way"  
Daniel was at a loss for words  
After a beat, he found his tongue,  
"You're her friend, probably her best friend" he began, "I know that she's innocent. I – I can't do anything about it though. My hands are tied"  
"You're in charge here!" she fumed  
"I've got a superior"  
"Well, who's above him?"  
"The president" Sousa shrugged  
"Then, I'll – I'll go speak with him" Angie followed Jarvis' suit and left the office

At Stark's movie studio lot, Jarvis searched for Howard. The first place he thought to go was the ladies' changing room, but thought best of actually searching there, lest he be slapped for being considered a masher. "Where could Mr. Stark have gone to?" he thought. The crew hadn't converged yet, as there were still auditions for actors and actresses to be had.  
Jarvis walked over to the men's fitting area, where the actors were trying on costumes for different productions. Howard wasn't there.  
As Jarvis searched, he didn't notice a sniper rifle trained on him, from a distance away.

At SSR, Chief Sousa came to the holding cell.  
"Peggy" Daniel walked up to the vertical bars that held her in, "I-"  
"Bloody hell!" Peggy didn't let him finish, "You know I didn't do this, yet you are so concerned with what others will think that you'd go along with all this"  
"You're right. I know you didn't do it" he spoke softly when she was finished, "I was put in a corner, and Saunders forced my hand"  
"You have a spine, don't you?" Peggy's words were harsh  
Daniel was quiet.  
He spoke after a few moments of thought, "I'll lose my job, Peggy" he sighed  
"Then I'll give you a better one" she stared at him through the iron bars.

At Howard Stark's mansion Angie looked around the foyer. Jarvis was out, and nobody seemed home, so she locked the main door and went into her room. Angie dialed the operator as soon as she got to her room. She asked to be connected to Washington DC. She figured she could pay Mr. Stark back once she got a job, a real job.  
Angie waited on the phone, the line curled around her.  
Ana poked her head in, "Oh, hello" she was cheerful  
Angie smiled, and motioned with one hand to the telephone receiver on her ear. Ana nodded and left the room quietly  
Angie was preoccupied with the phone and Ana walked down the hallway. Neither woman saw a sniper rifle aimed at the window.

At SSR, Peggy spoke to Daniel through the cell's bars, "You say that you trust me. Then do what you know is right" she didn't yell. Rather, she spoke softly  
Sousa leaned on his crutch. He knew in his heart that Peggy couldn't have done the atrocities that the article alluded to. To go against the General was tantamount to career suicide.  
But she was worth the risk.  
He looked at her, the woman he loved; the agent he knew was the best at her job.  
"I will" he unlocked the cell door, and smiled at her.  
Daniel gritted his teeth and made a clumsy spin on his heels. He knew what he had to do.

At the hospital, Jack struggled to get out of bed, but was in too much pain  
"My-" he stifled a scream as he wrenched his legs over the edge of the bed  
Violet rushed to his side. She'd taken a shine to him.  
He looked at her as she braced his shoulders and arms, and steadied him on the bed into a sitting position, "You said my bosses showed up. Who were you talking about?"  
A dark shadow passed over her face, "A British girl and a - guy on a crutch" she couldn't bring herself to say their names. Things were still fresh and raw, emotionally  
"Oh" Thompson nodded. He didn't remember them talking to him, and hadn't any memory of what he'd told them. He didn't know Violet's history with Daniel and Peggy

"Ah, Mr. Stark" Jarvis found him, "I need to speak with you regarding a most urgent matter" Jarvis walked into a third fitting room, for costumes that needed more work, extra fitting, or other issue.  
"In a minute" Howard was running his fingers up and down what appeared to be the back of an actor dressed as Captain America  
"Mr. Stark?" Jarvis looked quizzically at his superior  
"Ah, Jarvis" Howard smiled and turned toward the butler  
"Are you—busy, sir?"  
"Not at all, I want you to see this idea" he displayed the actor.  
The actor turned around to face them, and Jarvis was pleasantly surprised when he took off his mask and revealed himself as a she. Blonde locks tumbled down around her face  
Howard beamed, "Meet Lorraine"  
"Pleased to meet you" Jarvis shook her hand  
"Peggy gave me this idea about Betty fighting alongside Cap"  
"Ah, speaking of Ms. Carter, I need to inform you that she's in a great deal of danger"  
"Lorraine, can you excuse me for a moment?" he smiled at her and turned to Jarvis, "I met her at Peggy's old apartment, and what do you know; now she's in L.A"  
The men had walked a few paces when a shot rang through a shuttered window and flew past Howard and Jarvis  
Jarvis took a martial arts stance, but Howard snatched a circular prop shield off the table and wielded it. Another shot rang out and Howard deflected it with the metal costume shield.  
The actors immediately leapt to the floor and took cover, while Jarvis and Howard made a quick exit and ran for their car

At Stark's mansion, Angie was on hold with the Washington DC operator. She turned with her back to the window  
Ana returned down the hall and checked on Angie, "Have they taken your call yet?"  
"Not yet" she shrugged and tucked the receiver against her ear again  
Just then, a shot rang out, broke through the window and shattered the mirror across from Angie  
"Get down" Ana pulled Angie down, the phone receiver left hanging by the cord  
"Stay to the ground" Ana instructed. Apparently, Jarvis had covered more than simple sparring exercises with her, or perhaps there was more to Ana than even Jarvis knew, or cared to let on.  
Angie looked terrified. Ana surveyed the window and mirror and looked back at her, "If someone tries to break in, I can probably disarm them with Mr. Jarvis' patented Tortoise of Fury"  
"What?" Angie had no idea what Ana was talking about  
"Follow me" Ana crawled from the room, down the hall, checking to make sure that Angie was right behind her.  
The women made their way, on hands and knees, toward the back of the house, crept into the garage and climbed inside one of Mr. Stark's vehicles, a red Chrysler.  
They tore off, making sure to see if anyone was following them.  
As far as they could tell, nobody was.

Sousa and Carter rode up in an elevator car, upstairs, to head back to Daniel's office  
Peggy didn't know what to say. She was still upset that he'd arrested her in the first place, but was glad that he'd recanted and more so that he'd believed in her.  
The elevator lights signaled that they had reached the desired floor. Just before the elevator doors opened up, Daniel turned to Peggy and took her hands in his  
"Peggy, you know that I'm in this with you, 'til the end" he squeezed her hands.  
She squeezed his hands in response.

Ana and Angie sped through the streets in the red Chrysler, "Where are we going?" Angie turned to Ana  
"I'm not quite sure" Ana replied, her eyes never left the road  
"What about" Angie racked her brain for an answer, "where Peggy works, where she really works"  
"That sounds lovely" Ana smiled

"Sir, maybe we should go somewhere safe" Jarvis shuddered as the pair drove through Hollywood  
"Right" Howard agreed, "You know, I'm not surprised that people shot at me, but when other people could get hurt, that's just not the same"  
"You don't suppose that they're following us?"  
"If so, let's give them someplace to follow us to"

At SSR, Sousa was already on the phone, trying to reach General Saunders, "The bastards have me on hold" he grumbled and covered the phone's mouthpiece  
Peggy sat in the chair opposite him, formulating an action plan, "There's no real reason the General would find me as a threat" she reassured herself, "he must be being pulled by the Council" she wagered  
Daniel put down the phone, "Can't be disturbed right now" he fumed, "I can't believe something like this has happened and I didn't do anything right away"  
"It's alright" Peggy was calm, "I understand why you had to do what you did,"  
"I should have done more" he sighed  
"You did what you could" she paused a moment, "Besides, it's time that I contact Howard and get his project started"  
"Project?"  
"If the SSR can be compromised like this, from a call from the General, then there should be something greater, higher, with more power; something to protect people from themselves, or the entire nation, or the world at large. Something bigger has to be there to take care of people, everyone"  
"That sounds like a lot to do"  
"Howard wants me to run it, run his organization"  
"Well, you're the best person for the job" Daniel smiled  
As if on cue, Howard and Jarvis arrived, with Ana and Angie arriving soon after. The four pushed their way into Sousa's office.  
"Someone tried to shoot me" Jarvis complained  
"We were shot at, too" Angie chimed in  
"Whatever this idea of yours is" Daniel realized, "It won't do much good being a bunch of notes on a piece of paper. What can we do right here, right now?" he looked at the group, "Anyone have any ideas?"  
"Could the Council have control over General Saunders?" Peggy asked the question that some of them were thinking  
"He might just be worried about bad publicity" Jarvis suggested.  
Everyone stared at Jarvis as though he had grown a second head

At the Arena Club, the Council met.  
Vernon Masters berated the men before him, "Who told you to go shoot that butler in a crowded area?"  
"You told us to make sure he got scared away" the subordinate retorted  
"I said to make sure you killed him" Masters lashed out  
"And did you take care of Martinelli?" Masters turned to the other man  
"She got away with that butler's wife"  
"No doubt that they'll go to the one place that they feel safe" Masters said smugly, "The SSR"

"We can't contact Saunders" Peggy reiterated, "and he may or may not be compromised by the Council. That means that we've got to handle this, right here, right now"  
"Perhaps we need to contact the proper authorities about the matter" Jarvis suggested  
"We are the proper authorities" Daniel corrected him  
"Hmm" Peggy looked around the room, at the people she called her friends, and more, "The Council wants to make the world think I'm a traitor, so let's give them just what they want"

At the Arena Club, Masters, Jones et al were celebrating their good fortune.  
Vernon Masters sipped his drink slowly, "Imagine all those SSR agents, horrified that their glorified secretary was accused of treason against our great country" he smiled, "Now, think of how many of those easily molded agents would just jump at the chance to join something bigger, better, and more powerful than the SSR" he sipped his drink, "Oh, yes"  
He was lost in his thoughts, and never heard Torrance enter the room  
"Mr. Masters, you've received a telephone call" Torrance carried a phone on a platter  
"Sure, give it here" Masters took the phone and shooed Torrance away  
"Masters", it was Howard Stark, ""You know what Masters; I think I might have been a little harsh on this place. You're not half bad" he started, "How about you drop by, and we'll talk about it?"  
"What are you talking about?" Masters held the receiver and scowled  
"You see, I'm working on idea for a movie"  
"I know" Masters had read about Stark's studio in the newspaper. It was no secret  
Howard continued, "and it would pretty nice to have some backing from you; one that doesn't require anything financial" he sounded genuine  
"Go on" Masters smiled  
"I'm talking about influence" Stark continued, "You know exactly what I mean"  
"I could do that"  
"How about you come down to the studio and we'll discuss this"  
"What venture are you working on?"  
"Movies, they're the wave of the future" Howard made the idea sound grand  
"Movies have been around for years" Masters threw cold water on the concept, "But, I would be amenable to meeting with you to discuss business" Masters figured that if he could get into Stark's mind, and money, he could wield even more power.  
"Great. Just meet me there in half an hour" Stark hung up the phone after his request.

At the studio lot, Peggy looked at the costumes laid out. Captain America's red, white, and blue outfit, a few metal shields, and a wartime propaganda poster, from when Steve had been nothing more than a mascot for the Army. Peggy sighed, and forced herself not to cry, not now, not when everyone needed her to be strong. Just seeing these replicas strewn about the room brought back her memories, and that aching feeling of loss. She looked out the window. There was a blonde actor, who was preparing his lines. He had a name, Evan, Evan Christopher, and yet Peggy couldn't help but blink back tears, and tell herself that he wasn't Steve, her Steve.

At Howard Stark's movie lot, the crew was given time off, and Howard was running lines with a few actors. A blonde man wearing a shirt and pants appeared to be the actor playing Steve Rogers. A blonde woman wearing a version of the Captain America uniform sat alongside him, reading to herself from a script.  
Howard showed the male actor how he was to punch and jab for a scene  
Vernon Masters walked towards them.  
"So what is this grand idea of yours?"  
"Picture it" Howard started, "The Captain America Adventure Program, as a movie"  
"Hmm" Masters mulled over the concept, "Good idea. It would get people in the seats"  
"Will you look at this scene? It's going to be something special"  
"Why do you have a female Captain America?" Masters scowled at the actress, who was dressed in full uniform, including a mask that covered half her face, her blonde hair cascaded down her back.  
"Something different I'm working on"  
"That will never work" scoffed Masters, "Women need to stay where they belong"  
"Sure" Howard waved past the thought, "So, in this scene, Betty Carver is going to be captured by the Nazis"  
"Betty Carver" Masters smiled, "she's based off that female agent that I've heard about"  
"Really?" Stark looked surprised  
"Sure. I heard she got in a lot of trouble recently"  
"I haven't had time to listen to the radio" Stark stared at a script  
"It was all over the newspapers" Masters smiled smugly  
"Hmm" Stark was preoccupied, "So, for this scene, Betty is trapped, and she's got to have Captain America come and rescue her"  
"What do you need me for?"  
"Just stand it for the moment, and see how amazing this movie is going to be"  
"I already said that I'd give you whatever you could use" Masters looked annoyed, "Just make sure you'll join my fold and come to the Arena Club"  
"It's not a bad place" Stark nodded, "No women, but it'll do"  
"Huh" Masters scoffed at Stark's priorities, "So what do you want me to do here?"  
"Just see how this plays out" Howard explained, "Get a piece of the action"  
Stark gestured to the actors, "This is Lorraine, she's playing Betty"  
"But she's dressed as Captain America" Masters looked confused  
"A dream sequence" Howard waved the doubts away, "And this is Evan Christopher" he motioned to the blonde man, "He'll be playing Steve" he swallowed after reciting his friend's name  
"Huh" Masters looked Christopher up and down, "Kind of small, but alright; get on with this"  
"For this scene, Betty is dreaming that she's become Cap, and then she'll beat up the Nazi villain"  
"Let's see how it goes" Masters shrugged  
"Our other stand in, Jackson, isn't here. Could you-" Howard motioned to Masters  
"Sure" he grinned, "How much hurt could a little girl like you do to me?"  
"Action!" shouted Stark  
"Betty, we've got no choice" Evan recited his lines, "You'll have to stop them"  
Lorraine reached back and punched Masters in his face  
"Hey" Masters shouted  
Another punch came forward, and soon, Lorraine was beating the tar out of Masters  
"Easy now" Howard cautioned, "Save some of that for the next rehearsal"  
Evan pulled Lorraine off of Masters  
"Here" Howard pulled up a chair for Vernon Masters, "Rest your feet a moment"  
Masters sank down.  
Lorraine said nothing, but went into action. She snatched a rope from the ground and proceeded to tie up Vernon Masters  
"What are you doing?" he shouted  
Lorraine smiled, and shoved a rag into his mouth.  
Masters struggled against the ropes  
Evan took handcuffs from his pocket and handed them to Lorraine, who slapped them onto Masters' wrists.  
She waved away her co-star and stood before Vernon Masters. She then ripped off her blue mask, and wig, and revealed herself as Peggy Carter.  
"I always said you should've been in pictures" Howard clapped  
Peggy smiled at her friend, and glared at Masters, "Now then, Mr. Masters, you seem to be in no position to make demands"  
Masters screamed through the rag  
"You will call off your hired men, and you will get your newspaper contacts to print a retraction"  
"I could give the newspapers a hefty donation" Howard interjected  
"You could" Peggy thought aloud, "but perhaps Mr. Masters would care to make those changes out of the good of his heart"  
She pulled the rag out of his mouth  
"You bitch! I own the newspapers, the police, even this city!"  
Peggy sighed, "Steve would have hated you using such language" she shoved the rag back into his mouth, "And I hate it, too"

Jarvis showed himself, along with Daniel, and they, with Howard, dragged Masters away until a suitable vehicle could carry the man to justice.  
Now, with the adrenaline gone, the time of crisis passed, and the danger far away, Peggy looked down at what she was wearing. To her, this was a mockery, a caricature of Steve, and everything he stood for. She loved to fight, to be strong, to handle situations, but she couldn't do it like this, not dressed up like some sort of fancy dress character. She glanced over at Evan, who sat in a chair, and seemed lost in thought. This was probably something foreign to him, having lived a real life adventure; instead of a make believe one.  
Peggy found herself once again racked with emotion, and thought of Steve Rogers, the real Captain America, someone who'd loved her so deeply, so truly, and who she'd reciprocated that love just as much as he had her.  
"You'd never have any trouble finding a man" Howard had told her when he had needed her help to clear his name. Today, she'd needed her friend's help to clear her name.  
"The trick is finding the right one" she'd said that day.  
The right man; she'd thought Steve was the right man, and then she'd lost him; and now there was Daniel. She watched him haul Vernon Masters away, taking an opportunity to beat the man with his crutch while Jarvis, Howard and he pulled the chair towards a van.  
Maybe this was a second chance at something, happiness perhaps?  
Perhaps.

At the hospital, Jack Thompson was finally out of bed. His chest was bandaged, but he was well enough that the doctors had given him clearance for travel. He looked at his suitcase, finally packed, and struggled with his jacket  
"Here" Violet straightened it for him, "Do you have everything you need?"  
"Almost" he patted his jacket pockets, looking for something  
"They're here" Violet touched the airline tickets in his jacket pocket  
"Great" he looked around the room, "Ready?"  
"Ready" Violet wasn't wearing her nurse's uniform. She had on a flowered dress and a jacket over it, "How cold is it going to be?"  
"Don't worry" Jack smiled, "I'll keep you warm"  
She smiled back at him. New York would be a change for her, but she was ready this time.

Back at the studio, Howard was laying on the charm, in a manner of speaking,  
"In this scene, we've got Cap fighting off the Nazis, and Betty Carver is patching up the war veterans, since she's a nurse"  
Angie stared at the script, "It seems like a lot of action to go into a movie"  
"Well, maybe a couple of movies, maybe five, six movies" he shrugged  
"What if you could make something every week, like they do with radio, but on a screen?"  
"That's it!" Stark grinned and kissed Angie. Angie didn't pull away, and seemed to enjoy it.  
Howard broke the quick kiss, "If I could get this series on television, I could reach even more people, make even more money" he got excited, "I was at a bar, and they were talking about how the President's address was televised" he referred to President Harry Truman's state of the union address, "Picture it, the Captain America Adventure Show" his eyes glazed over for a moment, "Kids watching it, it'll be bigger than Howdy Doody" he meant the children's show that had just started that year. It was already a nationwide sensation.  
He looked at her, "If you're going to be on this, we've got to have your name in lights. What is your name, your full name?"  
"Angela" Angie smiled, "Angela Maria Martinelli"  
"Maria, huh?" Howard grinned, "I like that"

Back at SSR, with Masters in custody, Daniel sat with Peggy in his office, "Vernon Masters, the Arena Club, the newspapers. Everything is as thick as molasses" he sighed, "The SSR is looking into the Area Club, but I'm not sure how much they'll find"  
"There's always hope" Peggy exhaled, "But, this brings up a good point. If the Council can get their hooks into the newspapers, probably the radio, and even the SSR, then it's high time that something else was put in place.  
The phone rang before she could say more  
"Agent Sousa?" the voice came over the line, "It's Howard"  
"Yes" he replied, looking at Peggy while he listened  
"I have orders for Agent Carter" Howard continued, "After everything that transpired these past few days; we've come to a decision. Phillips and I want her to come to Washington. Tell her she'll be running Shield with me."  
"I'll be honored to tell her that" Daniel smiled  
"Great" Howard hung up the phone  
"I've got some good news and bad news" Daniel looked at her, the woman he loved  
"Well, let's have the bad news first" she sighed. There was no point in delaying the inevitable  
"You're not part of the SSR anymore" he was blunt  
"What?" Peggy was livid "After everything I did, everything that I risked, and now this?"  
Daniel smiled at her, "You'll be running Shield, with Howard"  
"Sh- Shield?" Peggy was gobsmacked, "It's – it's"  
"Apparently, Howard's project was more than a few lines on paper" Daniel shrugged  
"Well, tell the SSR that they'll need a new chief in Los Angeles"  
Daniel looked unsure, "Why—what's going on?"  
"You'll be coming with me" she smiled, "And be sure to bring your overcoat. The District of Columbia is quite cold during the winter"


End file.
